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According to the website Parkers.co.uk, which surveyed 500 people, motorists are concerned about how long it would take to work off the extra cost of buying an electric car, compared to the economical running costs of an efficient diesel car.

.....The lack of dedicated charging stations, however, did not appear to be a purchase deterrent, with just six per cent saying this would put them off.

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From the parkers link:

Comparing the cheapest electric car, the Nissan Leaf at £23,990 (after the £5,000 discount), to the SEAT Leon 1.6TDI Ecomotive S - which costs £16,840 - it could take up to 12 and a half years before buyers see any real savings.

With an EV, the battery pack often accounts for a much larger percentage of the car's original value other types of vehicles. While an engine that has been maintained properly can easily exhibit most of its original performance after 100,000 miles – and many can often go 200,000 miles or more – the same cannot reliably be said (yet, as far as we know) of a battery in an EV. The reality is that no one really knows how much value a battery will retain after 50,000 or 100,000 miles. It's a hard number to calculate. Nissan has said that the Leaf battery might only hold 80 or 70 percent of its original charge after ten years, for example, which will make it worth less. Speaking to the BBC, Mitsubishi has acknowledged that the i-MiEV's depreciation over three years could turn out to be more than the original cost of an internal combustion car (a Fiat 500 Lounge 1.2 petrol, in the example given). That's a tough bunch of numbers.

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In the short/medium term EVs will continue to be more expensive than their ICE equivalents, both in terms of purchase and battery replacement.

If, howsever, the Roadster's battery pack costs £13,000 to replace (and assuming 100,000 miles uses £2000 of electricity) then that still works out cheaper than 100,000 miles-worth of UK petrol at a fixed £1.15 per litre for any car getting less that 35mpg (that's imperial gallons, of course).

We forget that it took over ten years for mobile phones to develop from their (laughable) first appearance in the 1980s to mass market breakthrough in the early 2000s. (And even then, they had to be pushed as fashion accessories with repaceable covers to the teenager and young adult markets - who foresaw that?)

We haven't even reached the tenth anniversary of the debut of the Roadster. In mobile phone terms, we're still stuck in the 1980s, trying to puzzle out the next move.

I doubt that the only cars that sell in the UK are those cars in each class which have the lowest total cost of ownership. People buy cars partly based on cost but also on other factors: convenience, comfort, driving experience, and visual appeal.

The advantages of driving electric only start with reduced CO2 and low fuel cost. There's also instant torque largely independent of speed, the convenience of not having to fuel at a gas/petrol station, independence from wildly fluctuating oil prices, and the satisfaction of using locally produced energy instead of sending your fuel dollars overseas.

Once people start to see EVs on the road and hear about them from their friends and coworkers, they'll find out that they want to drive electric even if it does cost a little extra. As the cost of EVs comes down and the price of oil goes up, we'll be ready with an auto industry capable of building the cars everyone will want.

911? It was nuts. I'm not very good at keeping track of such things, but it was _more_. Tires were about equivalent, but it was never less than $1500 when going in at least once a year, and when the soft top had to be replaced... oy! Let's not even talk about the clutch...

There are many more EV advantages that are more subtle, but all adding up. Peacefulness is one I don't hear often, but I feel every day. Stopped at a light, I don't feel the constant pressure of go-go-go from a rumbling block of inefficiency. Plus, if I'm at the front of the line, there's the fun part to anticipate (and it's pure fun, not like the balky launches in the 911 if I didn't get the clutch release _just so_).

kgb: How about just stop subsidizing gas? I strongly believe a free market works if all costs are exposed. Current alternative technologies would already be a clear win on an even playing field...

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